Sony announced yesterday that they will release a thinner lighter PS3 in September. This new system will start with a 120GB drive for $299. Wow, thinner, lighter and cheaper, dang, I wish I could say that! J The new system will have all the same features and performance that the previous models do, just in a 36% smaller and less flashy case. To reduce the size and price, Sony is now using less costly and 33% lower power consumption 45nm Cell processor vs. the 60nm in the previous models had. The processor is still running at the same speed as before. Sony also moved the hard drive to the front of the case for easy upgrading without violating the system warranty. The new PlayStation 3 will come with the new firmware 3.0 which will release for older models in September also.

Firmware 3.0 offers some visual improvements to XMB like:

“What’s New” – The “Information Board” will be replaced with a “What’s New” section for the latest updates in a more visually oriented format.

Status Indicator – In the top right corner will be an indicator bar, which displays your user icon, friend icon, the number of friends you have online and a small message icon to let you know if you have any new messages.

Friends List – Now your PlayStation Network friends will appear in a slightly redesigned format on your Friends List. Also, messages will now be viewable from each of your friends’ respective profiles.

PlayStation Store Shortcuts – A handy shortcut icon to the PlayStation Store under both the Game and Video categories so you can access the latest content quickly and easily.

Sony’s PlayStation 3 is still really trailing in the console market behind Xbox360 and Wii but with a sub $300 price tag, the new PS3 may change the numbers. With the crucial holiday season which is quickly approaching, it will be interesting to see what happens with the numbers come January 2010.